Fort Lauderdale police say Rosa Rivera Kim had a blood alcohol level of .24 percent, which is three times the legal limit, when she smashed her car into a hotel poolside cabana. 27-year-old Alanna DeMella, who was inside, was killed instantly, along with her unborn child. She was seven months pregnant.

“This is a huge step in the healing process,” says Michael Davis, who’s the pastor of Genesis Community Church. Alanna DeMella and her husband Michael were in Florida because they won a contest to go on a marriage retreat there.

“Rather than choosing the path of being angry, Michael has chosen to seek to forgive and to grow through this and learn from this, so he’s not looking for vengeance, but it is important. This is a step in his healing. It’s ongoing, but there’s some closure here as well,” says Davis.

Alanna DeMella was an assistant teacher at an elementary school in Arlington.